Things I Know To Be True
by Cutieqtpie
Summary: “Well well, the prodigal son returns.” Could be called a luby or a carby, but basically how I'd like to see the rest of season 12 played out.
1. Old Friends

**Title**: Things I Know To Be True

**Author**: Cutieqtpie

**Spoilers**: Mild spoilers for Season 12 but basically leaving off from where I guess ""The Human Shield" leaves off. After that, it's a free for all.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any of the characters on ER, so please don't sue me!

**Author's Note:** A long time ago, I used to write a lot of fan fics. And then I sort of stopped and started writing other things, but now I guess I'm back! So read and enjoy and tell me what you think because I'd like to hope I've improved in the last couple of years. I have most of the rest of it written, so by sometime next week the whole thing will be posted. I've pretty much stopped watching the show at all this season because the direction that's been taken has frustrated me. So this is basically how I think the rest of season 12 should play out (minus Abby being pregnant).

"Well well, the prodigal son returns." Her smirk was the first thing he saw as he opened the door.

"Why Dr. Lockhart, this is quite a pleasant surprise."

"The County gossip rumor mills were buzzing this morning. I had to see it for myself."

"Well the rumors are true. Wanna come in?" He held open the door as she walked through and entered the reasonably sized hotel room.

"So how long are you here for?"

"Well the Joshua Carter Center is opening this week, so I'm only in Chicago for a couple days, and then I guess I'll go back to Boston."

"Boston? I thought you were still in Africa!" She turned and looked at him as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Well I was in Africa for a couple months, then Kem and I decided to go to Paris for a couple months to visit her mother, then we went back to the Congo, then I needed to take care of some business in the states, and she told me not to bother coming back."

"Wow."

"So I've been staying in Boston for a couple weeks with my father, looking for somewhere to work." He explained.

"You're not going to come back to County?"

"I don't know. I left for a reason, I don't know if I could come back and just go back to the way things were. But it's still an option I guess." As he finished, Abby glanced at her watch and gave a surprised look.

"My shift starts at 5, so I should probably get going. I was just stopping by to say hi."

"It was good to see you Abby." He walked her to the door and opened it. As she got partway through, though, she turned and looked back at him.

"There was actually something I came to tell you." She said, not able to meet his eyes. "I wanted to tell you myself before you heard from someone else. Luka and I…are seeing each other…again."

"Oh."

"Yeah. It's only been a couple of months, but I wanted you to hear it from me."

"Hrm…"

"What?"

"Nothing. I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking something. Tell me!"

"I was just thinking how everything's come full circle. You and Luka…but I'm happy for you, if you're happy."

"I am."

"Okay then."

"Well I'll see you around."

"Good night."

"Good night."

"Mrs. Preston, I'm Dr. Carter. I'm going to be examining you today. Can you sit up for me please." Three weeks later Carter was on his final patient of his first shift back at County. "When did the pain start?"

"A couple of days ago." The middle age woman sitting on the bed in front of him replied.

"Okay, well I'm going to order some tests so we can try to figure out what's wrong. Someone will be in in a couple minutes to take you upstairs, okay?"

"Thank you doctor." John nodded and headed out the door towards the front desk, where he dropped the chart that had been in his hands into an already formed pile.

"Hey Carter." He looked up to see a familiar figure walking towards him.

"Luka." He shook the other man's hand and smiled as he was pulled into a friendly hug.

"I didn't think you'd ever come back here."

"Nah, County just keeps sucking me back in." John replied with a chuckle.

"Well it's good to see you."

"You too." Carter sighed and glanced at his watch before removing the stethoscope from around his neck. "My shift is officially over, so I will see you tomorrow."

"Have a good day." Luka called as the other doctor gave a short wave and disappeared into the doctor's lounge.

"Don't tell me you still come out here." His voice startled her and she turned around in surprise. But her face softened when she saw the owner and shook her head.

"Old habits are hard to break."

"Well there's no cigarette in your hand so I beg to differ." He pointed out.

"That is true. I did finally quit smoking."

"So what are you doing out here?" He joined her standing at the railing.

"I don't have to be at work for another hour. It's quiet here…everything is calm and once I get into the ER, everything will go back to being hectic and chaotic." She explained. "So today was your first day back?"

"Yep. I forgot how fast a 12 hour shift goes. In Kisangani it was just sort of an all day everyday thing. I don't know, in a way it's kind of nice to have a more organized schedule."

"County and organized? Those two words don't belong in the same sentence." She laughed. They stood for several moments looking out at the water, until finally he spoke.

"Well I'm going to head home. I got everything out of storage and now it's all in boxes all over the place."

"Where are you living?"

"I found a little one bedroom apartment. It's not very exciting, but then again it's only me."

"Do you want help unpacking? I could come over after my shift." She offered.

"You don't have to do that Abby."

"But that's what friends are for."

"Are we friends?" He looked away as he spoke, missing the surprised look in her eyes.

"Carter, I've known you for what, 6, 7 years? Of course we're friends."

"Still, it's fine. I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Fine. Well I should probably get going." She said, taking a step back from the railing and starting to walk away.

"Abby," He called as she was about four steps away, and she turned around. "Thanks for the offer."

"Hey, it still stands. Just let me know." She smiled and walked away as Carter once more faced towards the river.

"What am I doing here?" He muttered under his breath and shook his head as he gave one last glance at the water before walking back to where his car was parked.


	2. Memories

Sorry this chapter took longer to get posted than I expected. Turned out I had writer's block and didn't even realize it! Thankfully I think that's passed a little now, but hope the wait was well worth it. I also have to apologize for the transition problems in the last chapter. Trying to get the Mac formatting to work on is kind of tricky. Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate it. Keep 'em coming!

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Later that evening, John sat on the sofa in his new apartment attempting to read a book, but not actually concentrating on it, when he heard a knock on his front door. Suspiciously, he got up and walked towards the door. Looking through the peephole, however, all he saw was a black of light brown. Against his better judgment, he opened the door and gave a very surprised look when he realized who it was.

"What is this?" He asked incredulously to the petite woman whose face was obstructed by a very large paper bag, filled with what was obviously food.

"I wasn't sure if you would have eaten yet or not, but I took a chance. It's Chinese. I decided Ike's would probably scare you back across to the other side of the world."

"How did you find me? I didn't think anyone had my new address."

"I have a friend in payroll." Abby admitted.

"Well that was sneaky."

"I was channeling my inner Sydney Bristow." She laughed, but made a face as the bag she was holding shifted in her arms.

"Does Luka know you're here?" He gave her a suspicious look.

"Uh, he's not the boss of me. And yes, he does." She answered, rolling her eyes.

"Well I guess you can come in. You don't have any other surprises do you?"

"Nope. No more surprises." She laughed as she walked through the door. "Wow, this place needs some work!"

"It doesn't need to be fancy. I'm only going to be here when I'm sleeping."

"What if you bring a girl home? Carter, she'll go running away in horror as soon as she steps through the front door!" She was still surveying the small space as she said this, and missed seeing the look on John's face at her words.

"I'll try to find some silverware and plates for all this." John said, walking into the kitchen as Abby started pulling the food out of bags and placing them on the coffee table. John re-emerged several minutes later, with items in his hands.

"You know, we could eat at the kitchen table like real people instead of on the floor. I am civilized. I have a kitchen table."

"Umm, you have a TV, it's 8 o'clock on a Thursday night. We're watching Survivor." She said matter-of-factly.

"Oh god…this was your plan all along, wasn't it?" He rolled his eyes and feigned despair.

"Well it was one of the perks to the plan." She laughed.

For the next hour they ate and watched the show. When it was over, Carter stood up and gathered the plates and started to clean up as Abby stood up as well and grabbed the top box off a pile in a corner of the room. As she ripped open the box, Carter walked back into the room.

"Carter, this whole thing is filled with medical journals. This one is from 1999! Why do you still have all these?"

"I never got around to reading them."

"In the last 7 years?"

"Well I have been a little bit busy in that time."

"Whatever." She moved the box over and went to grab another one as he walked back into the kitchen. She opened this one, and was surprised to see it was full of pictures. She grabbed one of the envelopes off the top and smiled as she opened it to find pictures of various members of the ER. There was one of him, Mark, Carol Hathaway, and who she knew to be Doug Ross, although she had personally never met him. She flipped through the stack and saw more pictures of various members of this group, as well as Peter Benton and Susan Lewis.

She put that envelope back in the box and noticed an album under several other envelopes of photos. Peeking around the corner to make sure Carter was preoccupied, Abby slid the album out of the box and was shocked when she opened it. Page after page was filled with pictures of her, her and Carter, and her at several County parties with other members of the County family. Suddenly she heard the footsteps marking his re-entrance to the room and shoved the album back into the box and looked up guiltily.

"What'd you find now?" He asked, leaning against the back of the sofa across from her.

"Oh, just pictures." She motioned towards the contents of the box before sliding it away. "Have you heard from Peter lately?"

"I talked to him about a month ago. And I got a Christmas card. Reese is going to be 9. And the baby is almost 3."

"Wow, I can't believe they've been married, what, almost five years?"

"Yep. Mark's been gone four years. I don't know. Time flies." Both sat in silence for a moment, each knowing that it had been three years since they had been together, but neither saying this aloud.

"We should probably start actually unpacking some of these. Otherwise I'll be here for weeks." Abby broke the silence and stood up.

Abby emerged from John's apartment several hours later. They had spent most of the rest of the night in silence, except for when she had a question about where he wanted an item to go.

She arrived at the apartment some time later. She let herself in the front door and hung her jacket and her purse on a nearby chair. As she walked into the bedroom she noticed the light was still on, and was surprised to find him still awake in bed, reading a book.

"I didn't think you'd still be up."

"I wanted to make sure you made it back okay. How was it?"

"Oh, you know, the usual." She walked into the closet and started talking off her clothes.

"I could go with you sometime, you know. This is a part of your life. I'm in your life too." She heard him call from the other room.

"Luka, you don't have to go to my AA meetings. It's not really a part of my life, it's just something I have to deal with."

"Are you coming to bed?" He decided changing the subject was a better idea than pursuing it further. Instead of giving an answer, she emerged from the closet wearing an oversized t-shirt and crawled into the bed next to him.

"Good night." She said and he turned and gave her a quick kiss before she rolled over and pulled the covers over her head while he continued reading.

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End file.
